Paid to poo: Combating open defecation in India

Using a toilet is something most people take for granted - but about 1.1 billion people around the world defecate in the open because they do not have access to proper sanitation. Open defecation is a practice where people relieve themselves in fields, bushes, open spaces and into open bodies of water.

Pay point at a public toilet in Bangalore, India

In India, nearly half of the population - more than 590 million people - relieve themselves in the open. For many it's a daily ritual and often something they do even when public facilities are available.

Temporary public toilets positioned over the canals

Said a government official working for the sanitation association,

"We've made public toilets but people still don't use them. Some of these people fear that there are witches inside or that their children will be kidnapped. These people have come from small villages, and so they are not used to the practice."

When people defecate in the open, flies feed on the waste and then carry small amounts away on their bodies. The flies then come into contact with food. Human waste can also run into wells and streams, contaminating water that may be used for drinking or bathing. Ingested bacteria and worms spread diseases, causing sickness and malnutrition.

Canals, rivers and lakes in India often serve as dumping grounds for sewage, solid and liquid wastes. These are sources of water pollution

Now health officials in the city of Ahmedabad, India, have come up with a scheme where children are being paid to use public toilets. Faecally transmitted infections are the main reason why nearly half of Indian children under five are underdeveloped and diseases such as diarrhoea kill about 200,000 children every year.

Said one health official,

“We are giving one rupee (less than one cent) to the children per day, or we're giving them chocolates to encourage use of the toilets."

Sabarmati Riverfront is a waterfront developed along banks of Sabarmati river in the city of Ahmedabad, India

The city council has plans to scale up the project and it might start paying adults to use public toilets. But people say it won't be easy to convince them to change. They say the toilets are not kept clean and that their children are often stopped from entering the facilities because some of them use too much water.

Nonetheless, the people behind this scheme hope their alternative approach could be a crucial first step towards ending open defecation in India.

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)